Page 35 of Run From Me

“If you’re not up to it, Sparky, I’ve got this. Thanks for getting me in.”

I opened my eyes at the absence of his heat and saw him turn to leave. This time it was me reaching out and stopping him.

“Wait. No. It’s just, no one’s ever asked for my help like my opinion matters. But I do have opinions. And, well. He tried to ruin Rylee’s life. Tried to take her away from Cas. I’d like to help him not wake up again, ever.”

His features were no less dark and scary, like there really was a switch he could turn on and off, but it still felt like under that darkness there was something else for me. Maybe I just wanted to believe there was.

Maybe I just liked the idea that I had power over a big bad wolf.

“Follow me,” I said and ran my palm over his chest as I walked back into the hall. “Just keep your head down.”

I knew this hospital well. Enough convoluted deaths to oversee, or charts to review, and I’d spent too much time here. When you didn’t have a life, you lived for your work. I needed a pet.

Never had I ever felt like this coming here before though. Xander followed me through another door that held antibiotics, medicines, and other supplies.

I shouldn’t have smiled, but I did as I reached for a vial of potassium chloride and a syringe.

“I assume he has an IV, but, if not, have you ever given an injection in a vein?”

Xander shrugged.

“I’m going to bank on an IV. If not? I’m highly aware of where veins are.”

That made me pause. But it was too late now. This idea had formed in my head, and I sort of loved the idea of being the one Xander was confiding in. That, and committing murder with.

“It’s harder to get into the ICU. I know one of the nurses on staff tonight, I think. I hope. Fill the syringe now.”

He seemed far too comfortable filling the syringe, and I wondered if he was just playing with me about wanting my help.

“Right. Okay. You’ll need to access the open line and put the entire thing in, and then walk away. I’ll go distract whoever is at the nurses’ station.”

Xander made quick work of the vial.

“You’ve done this before, Crash?”

He smiled at me past the vial.

“Let’s just say I’ve seen enough drugs and vials to know how to do this. It’s getting the drug that you don’t think will be on a report that I lacked direct access to. To be fair, this was a little bit inspired by you,” Xander said.

Should I have been flattered? I didn’t get to ask. Instead I took the vial and placed it back with the others. I peeked out the door and waved Xander on.

I had every right to be in the hospital, but with Xander, I was breaking so many rules, and it was a rush.

“Do you know what bay he is in?” I asked.

Xander nodded as I turned to the nurses’ station and he walked like he owned the floor.

“Hey, is Natalie working tonight?” I asked a nurse I didn’t know by name but had seen once or twice. She seemed nice enough.

“Yeah. She just took her break. She’ll be back with coffee in a minute. It’s been a slow night for once.”

I smiled.

“Yeah, it has.”

She was charting something, so I just stood there counting silently. It should take him no more than two minutes if he knew where he was going. The lethal dose would take a bit longer to get through the IV line, giving us the perfect opportunity to get out of here. By the time the monitor alerted the nurses’ station, he’d be dead and we would be close to gone.

So I just counted. The nurse hadn’t looked up again. Not once. Natalie wasn’t here either. No one would think anything of me being here. My heart thundered away in my chest imagining those dark eyes.

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